The history of The Beekeepers Inn
Originally built in 1859, now known as The Beekeepers Inn, the life of this old building started with Mr Thomas Higgins. Opening a bar in the township of Vittoria he offered first class accommodation for man and horse. Stock of liquors of the best quality and not forgetting the most important, the rules of the house ‘cleanliness and civility’.
The hotel traded from 1859 to 1877 under various owners and was a Cobb & Co horse changing station during this time.With the extension of the railway from Sydney, reaching Orange in April 1877, the Cobb & Co stop was discontinued.
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The building was then known as 'The Halfway House' An iconic building situated right beside the highway, midway between Bathurst & Orange in a local area known as Vittoria. The building has been the Vittoria post office, telephone exchange, local store, farm supply shop, mechanical repairs, fuel station and had a public telephone box out the front. It was operated by the Hilder family until the 1970's when it closed and became a private residence.
The next era...
Grant Lockwood (21.05.58 - 05.06.17) & The Lockwood family.
Vicki Lockwood, Jon Lockwood, Mark Lockwood, Claire Bennett & Sam Lockwood.
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In 2003 Grant & his wife Vicki purchased The Halfway House and started lovingly restoring the building back to it's old self. An antiques shop was first on the agenda but a cafe and farm shop, showcasing regional foods, quickly followed with the help from their son Mark.
Grant's first love was beekeeping and, with the opening of the farm shop, he had somewhere to sell and promote his reverently produced honey, showcasing different varieties & educating the public on the importance of bees. He passed all of his knowledge on to his son Jon who now operates one of the biggest beekeeping operations in Australia, Goldfields Honey Australia Pty Ltd.
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The outer building was a perfect location for daughter Claire to open a wedding reception venue with a country theme amongst the now established gardens.
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In 2012 a modern factory was built to extract & bottle honey. Sam, the youngest son, is in charge and has his fathers passion of bottling premium Australian honey.
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Grant sadly passed away in 2017 but his wife Vicki together with their four children, keep business as usual. Grant passed on his love of business, bees, honey, agriculture, history, tourism, community & family.
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The wheels of history keep turning on...
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What we have to offer...
Honey tasting, local providores,
great food, seasonal local produce, beer tasting, country hospitality, weddings, engagements, birthday parties, live music, antiques, memorabilia, 1859 Brewing Co.
The perfect place for a quiet coffee on your own or a 'catch up' with family or friends. Community meetings & clubs are always welcome.
Facebook Reviews
"Great little shop with excellent variety. Coffee was fantastic!"
Nov 2022
"Called in to see what it was and WOW... I stumbled onto a gem.
The welcome was outstanding the food was delish and the quality of customer service is way beyond expectations. Prices are great value. I now call in as often as possible and even take clients with me. This unique business has so much more on sale in the gift shop. If you are travelling between Orange and Bathurst DON’T drive past ...Call in and be surprised"
August 2022
"Delicious food. Friendly staff. A favourite place to bring family visiting Bathurst. The Devonshire scones is a great morning or afternoon tea to share as well. Plenty of space for the kids to run around and explore."
August 2022
Check out these amazing images below of the original inn...
